Lady s stay



AL. BALIS.

' STAY.

Patented Sept. 10. 1850.

UNITED STATES PATEN FFTCE,

LOUISA BALIS, OF ONEIDA COUNTY, .\`E\V YORK.

LADYS STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

Be it known that I, Louisa BALis, ot' the county of OneidaI and State ot'- New York, have invented certain new and' useful .lmprovements in Ladies Stays; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Jforming part ot' this specification, in which- Figure l is a front view. Fig. 2 is a side View. F ig. 3 is a back view. Fig. el, a view of one half of the body of the stay.

The same lettei's ot reference refer to corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention consists in a proper distribution of the support, likewise protection given to the body by a new arrangement of the position, length and shape of the lower gores; also a new construction ot' the shoulder strap by means of which the chest l can be expanded in a proper and effectual manner.

It is well known that the pressure, and weight, at, and below the shortribs, of garments worn by ladies, always aggravate, and frequently cause those diseases peculiar to their sex. This stay is constructed on such principles, as at once, to expand the chest."- to support the entire waist-, to prevent and always relieve such diseases.

To enable others skilled in the art to make. and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and arrangement. The stay is manufactured of the usual inaterial. The whale bones are inserted in the usual manner, and the stay is fastened as usual by lacing.

a, a, a, a, are whale bones passing over the hips, and terminating just below the shoulder blades-b, b, are whale bones passing over the hips nearer the sides than those described a, a, a., a., and terminating just under the shoulder blades Close to a, a, a, athe dotted lines representI the stitching b v which the whale bones are inclosed. rlhe whale bones e, a, a, and b, b, are for supporting that portion of the back bet\ Yeen the hips, and shoulder blades, and protecting the muscles about the loins t'rom the injurious effects of weighty skirts, etc. etc. c, c, are whale bones passing up the sides oi'' the stay from the hips nearly to the arm pit. (l, d, and e, e, are whale bones passing up the front of the stay. The stitching by which' the whale bones are inclosed is all in 7,627, dated September 10, 1850.

straight lines, which only take the curved forms as represented in the drawings, when the stay is en Ithe person. j', are two gores oli' like shape ruiming up the back of the stay, their upper edges terminating at a point a short distance below the shoulder blades. g, g, are similar shaped go-res comniencingI at each side over the hips, and running toward the back between the whale bones a, and b, and terminating` nearly at the saine height as those f',

Fig. 4L represents one half of the body of the stay-the perpendicular lines g', and f', indicate where the gores ,f/Q and f, should be inserted. They should extend up until within 3 or l inches of the armpit, in order to locate the smallest compass of the stay upon the strong ribs.

By the above construction the smallest compass of the stay is made to occur just above the point where the gores g, g, f, f, terminate thence causing the greatest tightness or pressure of the stay, when adjusted upon the person, to bear upon the best fortitied portion of the waist, viz, the strong ribs justbelow the arm pits, while the loins or base oi the waist is left perfectly free from the pressure of all clothing, even the stay itself'. The effect of this arrangement is to prevent a slender or taper waist, by protecting the loins from all kinds ot weight and pressure.

Tt should be borne in mind that herein` is an important point of difference from the common stay. The common stay by an opposite construction caused the greatest tightness or pressure to bear upon the loins, or base of the waist,'to the end, that a slender waist may be formed thereby.

The shoulder straps are made of rubber stud, and linen webbing, the upper ends of which are made tast to the back of the stay near the top; the lower ends are made fast to the back of the stay also, but in such a position as will cause them to cross the lower edges ot' the shoulder blades when the shoulder straps are adjusted to the arms.

h, z, and z', i, are four pieces of rubbler stuttI fastened each, one end, to the back of the stay.

j, j, is the linen webbingsewed to the rubber stuit 71 it, and joined to the rubber stuff z', z', by means of the bucklesc, 7c.

Z, Z, are strings of tape att-ached to the stay for the purpose of drawing the shoulder straps down,- in front, so as to prevent them from obstructing the circulation, or irritating the muscles about the arms.

By a proper tension of the shoulder straps, when the stay is adjusted upon the person, the most direct, and effectual expansion may be given to the chest, as well as support to the shoulders, with the least possible obstruction to the circulation, or irritation to the muscles about the arms.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- A The peculiar arrangement (in the body of the stay) of the wvhalebones ci, a', a, o, and b, in combination with the gores g, g,

and f, f, of the particular form and in the 15 port is given to the Whole Waist, by means 2O of the peculiar position, and shape of the gores, and thence the easy curves givento the Whale bones as set forth.

LOU ISA BALIS.

litnesses z GEORGE GRAHAM, G. F. BIRCHARD. 

